Warren Minor Christopher

Christopher, Warren Minor, 1925–2011, U.S. government official, b. Scranton, N.Dak. He studied law at Stanford (1946–49) and was a clerk to Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas (1949–50). A Democrat, he was in private practice when not serving in government, ultimately heading a prominent California law firm. He had been appointed to a number of government posts before serving (1967–69) as deputy attorney general under President Lyndon Johnson. As deputy secretary of state under President Jimmy Carter, he was the chief American negotiator in the 1981 talks that ended the Iranian hostage crisis. Appointed secretary of state (1993–97) by President Bill Clinton, Christopher was particularly involved in seeking Arab-Israeli peace agreements and in negotiating a peace in Bosnia. He also served (1991) as chairman of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department.